Wild Wild West

Anybody else drop-dead tired at work today? I went three overtimes deep in the Vancouver/Dallas game (which ended in the 4th overtime, right about the time most regular folk were getting up for work on the East Coast) , and I'm DYING today. Suffice it to say, with two games going into multiple overtimes(Sharks/Preds being the other), the Western Conference is doing it's best to kill all *productivity for* hockey fans on the East Coast.

For a game where goals were supposed to be at premium, Vancouver and Dallas put on an offensive showcase last night (at least until overtime hit and both teams absolutely locked it down). Both Marty Turko and All-Universe goaltender Roberto Luongo looked eminently beatable through three periods, with both allowing goals that were more AHL quality than NHL. But that's what the playoffs are all about. Nerves, jitters, pressure, the works. In overtime, and for the time is would take to play an entire second game, both goaltenders performed at the level which is expected of playoff goaltenders. Absolutely perfect. It's a shame one of them had to take a loss.

Also, as would be expected from our rabid cousins to the north, I don't think a single person left the rink until the game ended. Now THAT, my friend, is what being a hockey fan is all about.

From here, I expect both teams to settle down significantly, and I'll go so far as to guarantee you won't see another 5-4 score in that series. I'll be shocked if either team manages more than 2 in the next game, seeing as the players must be thoroughly exhausted after playing more than 2 entire games worth of hockey.

In the other Western Conference thriller, Patrick Rismiller and the Sharks felt the full range of playoff emotion in his game against a feisty Predators squad. Rismiller first coughed the puck up in his own zone off a lazy (one might even say Eminger-esque) clear attempt less than six feet from the blueline, which allowed the Predators to hold possession in the zone. They promptly scored, evening the game and casting Rismiller as the goat.

But the great thing about the Stanley Cup playoffs is that no role lasts forever unless your team gets eliminated. Rismiller redeemed himself by tipping home a Patrick Marleau pass halfway through the second overtime, securing the win and a 1-0 Sharks lead in the series. Redemption can be a beautiful thing (if you're a Sharks fan).